May 13 Monday
Today marks the first full week of our trip! We have been
able to see and learn so much about the people, culture, food, and climate
(namely the humidity). We have visited places including Hanoi, Sapa, and Ha
Long Bay which all have their own wonderful characteristics.
This morning, we left for the airport at 6am to head to Da
Nang. We got everyone checked in and through security, then we ventured to
find the closest coffee shop. For most, we were able to have a little taste of
home and got Starbucks. A few also did a little shopping in the airport before
getting on the one-hour flight to Da Nang.
We arrived in Da Nang at about 10:30am, hopped on the bus,
then were on our way to Marble Mountain. The Marble Mountains are a cluster of
5 marble and limestone hills named after the five elements: metal, water, wood,
fire, and earth. Not only are these mountains visually stunning, but they also
have historical, cultural, and religious significance. Each of the mountains
has caves, pagodas, and temples.
We were lucky enough to tour the water mountain. We went
into many caves inside the mountain that had statues of Buddhist figures. One
of these caves had three holes in its ceiling with lighting poking through
since we were there about noon. Tony, our tour guide, said that the figures can
only be seen with natural light, which only comes through during the noon hour,
so we came at the right time. Tony said that the three holes represent
Buddha.
Tony explained there are two types of Buddhism in Vietnam
and more than 60% of Vietnamese people practice some form of Buddhism. One form
of Buddhism is practiced in the North and the other type is practiced largely by
the central and southern part of Vietnam, however, everyone studies to try to
reach enlightenment. The Vietnamese believe in karma, a word we are familiar
with but means more to their culture. They believe that as long as they do good
things to people and nature, they will achieve enlightenment.
We continued our hike up the mountain to River Watching
Tower where we were able to look down and see the other mountains as well as
some of the city. In fact, there were mountains within the city itself, which
is very different from South Dakota! At this spot, we were also able to see a
chair that was made for the king to sit in when he visits.
After the hour and a half hike up and through the mountain,
we cooled off with some water and ice cream. Some of us bought marble figurines
from local shops at the base of the mountain. After this, we headed to lunch,
which consisted of a lot of seafood! After lunch we headed to the hotel to
change into swimsuits and enjoy the rest of the day on MyAn Beach. Many of us
had never been in an ocean, so this was certainly a highlight.
After a few hours on the gorgeous beach, which none of us wanted to leave, we met for supper and celebrated Dr. Daly’s birthday! https://sdsu.box.com/s/0mfua5vogxqsm2indn72kas3h768envh
Some of us enjoyed the rooftop pool after supper. Overall,
today was a very relaxing day that we all enjoyed!
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Autum Wittstruck and Katelyn Winberg
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